Freezemarking opinions?

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LuandLu24

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Hi,

I am hoping to get my horse freezemarked this week due to seeing so many horses being stolen in the local area. I have been told that i shouldn't have it done because:

-It doesnt deter thieves
-it's cruel to have it done
-I will never be able to show my horse again
-it makes the horse look "cheap"

So could you guys help me come up with a final decision.

Even if it doesnt deter thieves, if the horse was to be stolen surely a marking is a brilliant way of relocating the horse as its a distinct mark. I'm planning on getting it on her bum since she's mostly white. Shouldn't a good judge except that the horse has a freezemark for identification rather than mark a horse down for it? I would rather be safe than sorry! My horse is currently microchipped so i am getting the micromark and two letters so it's not too big.

What are your experiences and views on it?

Thanks!
 
Well I never knew that by having my cob Freeze marked by FarmKey that I was going to make him look cheap....he cost a fortune and never ever had any remark made about it in the last 10 years I have owned him...just get told he is a super stamp of a cob....guess they must be dazzled by him that they don't notice it!!!!
I have always had my horses F/M guess it acts a deterrent....plus he has an Irish chip, so he is well protected.....plus I have taken photo's of him as front, back and both sides on a regular basis.....I find this annoying if a horse is marked down due to F/M....Makes me bl**dy cross!!!!!
 
Rules for showing say they are not allowed to be marked down due to it and if the marks under the saddle the judge won't even see it. It definitely gives them a sensation but I don't believe it is incredibly painful, no more than all the other crap we make them endure. I can't comment as to either it deters thieves or not but I think it's always a step in the right direction :)

And on the cheap part, some of the best most expensive horses I know are freeze marked with their stud. Most definitely not cheap!
 
_OC_ said:
Well I never knew that by having my cob Freeze marked by FarmKey that I was going to make him look cheap....he cost a fortune and never ever had any remark made about it in the last 10 years I have owned him...just get told he is a super stamp of a cob....guess they must be dazzled by him that they don't notice it!!!!
I have always had my horses F/M guess it acts a deterrent....plus he has an Irish chip, so he is well protected.....plus I have taken photo's of him as front, back and both sides on a regular basis.....I find this annoying if a horse is marked down due to F/M....Makes me bl**dy cross!!!!!
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Thank you, this is what i said! I just want to know my horse is protected and I'm being made out to be a cruel owner! I would be beyond devestated if my horse was stolen and couldn't be found. Atleast if she has a freezemark she's a little bit more protected and more likely to be found if she was stolen. I've also been told my horse will look like a cow if i get her freezemarked which quite offended me. If a judge does mark her down when i show her next year then they're clearly not very good judges and I will be complaining! I'm paying nearly £100 pounds to get this freezemark done and i dont want any regrets
 
Are you going to FM your horses backside because she is white under saddle? Mine isn't done on the basis that he is sporting 2 brand marks already!
 
Get it done. My pony is dark brown with no markings whatsoever. He is chipped and not kept in a place where he is likely to get stolen but I wasn't prepared to take that risk. His is under the saddle so not seen but my other horse who was dun was marked on the shoulder.

I had the 3 initials of his registered passport name plus the horseshoe to show he is chipped. Not that he will ever be sold but if he was the mark and passport reflect each other.
 
LuandLu24 said:
Thank you, this is what i said! I just want to know my horse is protected and I'm being made out to be a cruel owner! I would be beyond devestated if my horse was stolen and couldn't be found. Atleast if she has a freezemark she's a little bit more protected and more likely to be found if she was stolen. I've also been told my horse will look like a cow if i get her freezemarked which quite offended me. If a judge does mark her down when i show her next year then they're clearly not very good judges and I will be complaining! I'm paying nearly £100 pounds to get this freezemark done and i dont want any regrets
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I have seen it happen in the ring.....and in my opinion the class was not worth entering to start with. To be told your horse will look like a cow beggars belief....me personally would most likely have remarked I will get an ear tag to match as well ....I never noticed my cob in any pain when it was done.....I would probably have it under the saddle if you are overly concerned....I had it on my cobs shoulder, and as I said never had any remarks made on it:)
 
I've had a few done. I wouldn't have another done under the saddle though as one I had done ended up with a bald patch on the mark and it got sore when he sweated under the saddle. I've had them done on the shoulder since then.
 
_OC_ said:
I have seen it happen in the ring.....and in my opinion the class was not worth entering to start with. To be told your horse will look like a cow beggars belief....me personally would most likely have remarked I will get an ear tag to match as well ....I never noticed my cob in any pain when it was done.....I would probably have it under the saddle if you are overly concerned....I had it on my cobs shoulder, and as I said never had any remarks made on it:)
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Oh i was so offended! Yeah i should have said that hahaha! I think i will be getting it done, screw what other people think, I'd rather have my baby safe! Thank you everyone :)
 
Judges arent allowed to mark you down for a freezemark

However there are a long list of things which a judge shouldn't mark you down for but the cynic in me says it happens
 
Definitely doesn't make your horse looks, makes it look treasured to me. I would get mine freezemarked but no one in Scotland does it. I am a little paranoid that someone might steal my horse but based on his current behaviour they would bring him back quickly haha.
 
my current horse is freezemarked and I had my previous horse freezemarked when she was 18 months as there were lots of horses being stolen at the time in our area. I showed her at county level at both Essex and herts and she won her class each time ( 3yr old at Essex and 2yr old at herts) and had numerous high placings at other shows so didn't affect her judging at all!!!! I was only a hobby showing person so not placed because I was well known...hers was done on the saddle area with no problems but if I was having another done I would put on the shoulder so it can be seen even if being ridden..mine took no notice when it was done so I don't think it could have hurt her...ignore the people who are rude about your horse and better safe than sorry IMO!!!!
 
Mine are done, and any more I have will be done too. Tinners didn't 'take' so had to be done again, and it still isn't very readable TBH, but it would be good enough if he was nicked. Both of mine are skewbald but have dark backs so are marked under the saddle, it gives me peace of mind.
 
LuandLu24 said:
Hi,

I am hoping to get my horse freezemarked this week due to seeing so many horses being stolen in the local area. I have been told that i shouldn't have it done because:

-It doesnt deter thieves
-it's cruel to have it done
-I will never be able to show my horse again
-it makes the horse look "cheap"

So could you guys help me come up with a final decision.

Even if it doesnt deter thieves, if the horse was to be stolen surely a marking is a brilliant way of relocating the horse as its a distinct mark. I'm planning on getting it on her bum since she's mostly white. Shouldn't a good judge except that the horse has a freezemark for identification rather than mark a horse down for it? I would rather be safe than sorry! My horse is currently microchipped so i am getting the micromark and two letters so it's not too big.

What are your experiences and views on it?

Thanks!
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Ok this is the brunt of - when people say things to me on this subject.

1. It does deter thieves as the said horses can be traced - and Farmkey have not had a stolen horse not returned in 9 years.
2. It is not cruel as the said horse is not anesthetized and may show discomfort but not pain just like having your ears pierced.
3. Rubbish - you wont be able to show him at all if he is stolen like another poor member on H&H
4. Make him a damn site cheaper if he is carved up and served on a plate

I have all my horses freezemarked even my new mare was done within weeks of owning her

When we had a group done in the 1987 a girl said * I am not having Chianti done as it will spoil her * I said it would spoil her a lot more if she ends up getting served up - Blunt but she got her done with the rest.

Give your horse the best present for Xmas a freezemark even a personal one would be nice for him/her
 
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I don't understand why you wouldn't... Is it about £100 now? I think I paid £80 and for the piece of mind it's beyond worth it.

I have a cool one with part of my horses name and I really like it. He didn't notice it being done gave him a handful of pony nuts and he didn't bat an eyelid.

Yes of course it's not a 100% guarantee but it helps, it can't be faked like a passport, it's visible and permanent.

No a judge won't mark you down but even if they did they who cares? what's more important a rosette or your horses safety.

Another thing if you do get it done, write freezemarked on your rugs, no point getting it done and then covering it up half the year.
 
Feathered said:
I don't understand why you wouldn't... Is it about £100 now? I think I paid £80 and for the piece of mind it's beyond worth it.

I have a cool one with part of my horses name and I really like it. He didn't notice it being done gave him a handful of pony nuts and he didn't bat an eyelid.

Yes of course it's not a 100% guarantee but it helps, it can't be faked like a passport, it's visible and permanent.

No a judge won't mark you down but even if they did they who cares? what's more important a rosette or your horses safety.

Another thing if you do get it done, write freezemarked on your rugs, no point getting it done and then covering it up half the year.
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I got my new mare done in August and it was around £ 75 ah but then I re - used a number, when I got my first mare done it was £ 12 per horse - oh they were the days
 
HGA-12 said:
Ok this is the brunt of - when people say things to me on this subject.

1. It does deter thieves as the said horses can be traced - and Farmkey have not had a stolen horse not returned in 9 years.
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2013 - one horse, one pony, both with freezemarks and listed on the Stolen Horse Register, both still missing
 
It was a no brainer for me.

I had my old girl done (when she was young!) on a yard arranged day where Farmkey did a majority of the yard.

When I bought my 2nd horse a few years ago it was one of the first things i set about arranging.
We live on an island, so I did a bit of pre planning and rallied round the 3 big yards and we had a freezemarking day, made it all a bit cheaper for everyone and there was some good advice given out as part of the day.

When I was arranging it I did get lots of questions asked, mainly around the mark being unsightly and being marked down in the ring the other was hoe much it hurst the horses.

My view is, it might be uncomfortable, but not painful and no where near as painful (for horse or owner) as if they horse was stolen and goodness only knows what might happen, and no one on our yard shows so it won't be seen when the horse is tacked up.

One lady opted for the micromark instead of a letter number combination, that is an option.
 
cally6008 said:
2013 - one horse, one pony, both with freezemarks and listed on the Stolen Horse Register, both still missing
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Farmkey told me verbally that no horses went missing that were not found in 9 years -so got that from horses mouth. If the owners don't report it to Farmkey they can't do anything or the owners don't keep the freezemarked clipped - or re register it if sold.
 
Always had mine done.
Never been makes down showing (county or local ) and it was on the shoulder so very visible
Had my filly done as soon as she turned one. I have 2 personal freeze marks cost £75.
 
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No doubt the OP's detractors also believe you can't get pregnant if you do it standing up! I had my girl freezemarked within a month of buying her. I had her done on the shoulder because I didn't want to have to miss out on riding her plus a stolen horse can be sold through the ring with a saddle on and no-one will even know it is marked until it is too late. My belief is that I would rather be last in the showring with my horse, than have my horse be first with some thieving scrote on her. I was lucky that my horse had very distinctive white marks but to a police man a brown horse looks just like another brown horse, even though we know that one is bay and one is liver chestnut. Any eejit can read some letters and numbers. Oh, and it really can't be painful. My girl was pretty highly strung, and being a redhead had rather sensitive skin. She didn't bat an eyelid throughout the entire process.
 
What a load of rubbish you have been told. get it done. We had two stolen and got them bak ithin twelve hours THANKS TO THE FREEZEMARKS.

I have had every single animal done, and always will.
 
I had my ex-racer freeze marked. Only time a judge commented was at Windsor show and she remarked how sensible it was as a visual deterrent. My current horse will be freezed marked when he's older. In all the ROR classes I did (including the finals at Hickstead) none of the horses were ever scanned for chips.
 
Thanks everyone! I got it done tonight and i couldn't be happier, my girl stood like a gem for the clipping and the brand (considering she's never seen clippers before as she's 2yo) thanks again for all your replies, it's very much appreciated :)
 
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